Drilling fluid serves multiple purposes in drilling operations, specifically horizontal drilling processes and oilfield drilling processes. For example, the drilling fluid acts as a lubricant to cool rotary drill bits and facilitate faster cutting rates, along with helping to maintain borehole integrity. In some applications, the drilling fluid can provide hydraulic horsepower for mud motors that help to bore through hard soils.
As the drill bit pulverizes the dirt or rock at the end of a borehole, small pieces of solid material are left behind. The drilling fluid mixes with these cuttings to form a liquid/solid slurry. The slurry, or used drilling fluid, is routed from the drilling process to a processing system at which the cuttings particulates are removed from the drilling fluid. Removing the cuttings particulates allows the drilling fluid to be reused. Furthermore, reusing the drilling fluid reduces disposal costs associated with the drilling process.
Conventional processing systems generally include several components such as a clean drilling fluid tank, a used drilling fluid box, and a shaker having a shaker screen. The shaker is configured to perform a removal and separation of solid constituents of the slurry. The used drilling fluid box, or settling tank (also sometimes known as a “mud box”), is configured to help filter the used drilling fluid and to deposit the used drilling fluid onto the shaker screen. A typical shaker screen extends across a bed. The bed is vibrated (or otherwise moved) as the material to be separated is introduced onto the screen, which moves the relatively large size material along the screen. The liquid and/or relatively small sized material passes through the screen into the bed.